Automatic vending machine



Oct. 27, 1936- 1.. E. SCOTT ET AL 2,053,637

. AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE Fil-ed March 25; 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v EgiL.E. E.A.S1nith Q--l mmmv Oct. 27, 1936. L. E. scoTT EIAL 2,058,637

AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1955 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSL.E'. S00 If t E.A.S1niilb Patented Oct. 27, 1936 PATENT OFFICEAUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE Leslie E. Scott and Ernest A. Smith,

San Jose, Calif.

Application March 25, 1935, Serial No. 12,825

1 Claim.

This invention relates to coin controlled automatic vending machines andparticularly to one for dispensing individual bottled or packaged goodswhich must be maintained in an upright condition.

The principal object of our invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter arranged to cause one bottle or the like at a time to beautomatically discharged from an upright. position. on

w the supply support to a similar position in a delivery chute fromwhich it may be withdrawn by the purchaser; such movement and dischargeof the merchandise taking place automatically upon the insertion of acoin into the coin box of the machine.

The merchandise for which the machine is particularly designed andsuited is bottled drinks, cartons of cracked ice for mixing with drinks;and another object of our invention is to provide a supply chamber andfeed unit arranged so that a large number of containers may bemaintained in an upright position and in very compact relationship in arelatively small space. This chamber is also arranged so that it may beeasily kept in a refrigerated condition, with little possibility of lossof refrigeration as the merchandise I is dispensed.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for, the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine with 40 the cover partlybroken away.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine I partly in section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section on the line 3-3 ofFigure 2.

4 Figure 4 is a diagram of the control circuits Turnably mounted in thechamber 2 and form'- ing the goods supporting floor thereof is a disc 6,set as close as practical to the bottom wall of the chamber but spacedsomewhat from the side walls thereof. This disc serves as the supportfor a supply of merchandise to be dispensed, shown in this case as beingcylindrical cartons 1 to contain cracked ice, and standing on end.Supported from a fixed spider frame 8, preferably resting on the bottomof the compartment 10 2 outwardly of the disc, is a continuoushorizontal spiral element 9, which may be either in the form of a rod orband set on edge and disposed a short distance above the disc. Thespiral works outwardly from adjacent the center of the 15 disc totheperiphery of the same, the spacing between the various turns of thespiral being all equal and such spacing being sufficient to receive asingle container therebetween with a free running flt. Adjacent theinception of the spiral a cross member It extends between adjacent turnsthereof to form a stop for the corresponding end of the row ofcontainers, which row is of course also spirally disposed.

At its outer end the spiral terminates at a 25 point from the peripheryof the disc 6 a distance less than the diameter of a container 1, and ata distance from the inner wall of the chamber 2 slightly greater thanthe diameter of such container. At this point the spiral is formed withan outwardly and abruptly curved extension ll projecting to said chamberwall. It will therefore be seen that if the disc is rotated in theproper direction relative to the spiral, the containers on the disc as awhole will be gradually moved toward the rim of the disc and theforemost container of the row will be engaged by the spiral extension IIand slid radially off the disc.

Such container is then received in a vertical recess l2 formed in theadjacent wall of the greater width than the container but projectsupwardly from the pad to a height less than that of said container.Thus, while the container may be removed through the opening by tiltingthe lower end of the container outwardly, it cannot well fall out ofitself. The height of the chute from the pad to the bottom of thechamber 2 is such that a container resting on the pad will hold the trapdoor open as' shown in Figure 3; the door tending to close upwardly ofitself by reason of a suitable spring l'l connected thereto.

The disc 6 is mounted on an axial shaft i8 which depends into thecompartment 3 and is journaled and engaged by suitable ball bearings I9.The shaft is operatively connected to an electric motor 20 in thecompartment 3 by means of suitable reduction gearing 21. The circuit Mto the motor is normally open and is closed by the insertion of a coinin a coin switch box 22 of conventional form mounted on the front of thehousing I in a convenient position to one side of and above the deliveryopenings IS. The motor circuit M has a normally open relay switch Rtherein, which relay is connected to an auxiliary circuit A in which astep down transformer T, a normally open coin controlled switch 0, and anormally closed trap door controlled switch D are interposed. The switchD is mounted behind the trap door adjacent its hinged end and isarranged so that it is held closed by the door when the latter isclosed, but opens whenthe door opens.

When the coin switch is closed by the insertion of a coin in the usualmanner the auxiliary circuit A is closed, energizing the relay andclosing the relay switch R and the motor circuit. The

coin switch as usual is closed only momentarily,

but the auxiliary circuit still remains closed as long as themotorcircuit is closed and as long erate and the motor circuit will notbe again closed, regardless of the re-closing of the switch D by theclosing of the trap door, until the coin .controlled switch is againclosed by the insertion of another coin. Only one container will thus bedelivered at a time, since it is obvious that the drive of the motorceases the instant a container is deposited on the trap door, and beforethe adjacent container can possibly be shifted off the supporting disc.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While. this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A coin controlled vending machine comprising an enclosed chamber, ahorizontal disc for the support of containers standing verticallythereon, a delivery compartment below and to one side of the chamber andprovided with a top opening communicating with the chamber, adepressibletrap door normally closing said opening, means, including a motor, torotate said disc, means co-operating with the discto sweep containersmounted thereon toward said trap LESLIE E. SCOTT. ERNEST A. SMITH.

